Tip Tronix Riddim – Free Willy Music

Free Willy Music’s Tip Tronix Riddim sits a little lighter on its feet than the producer’s later 2012 work, but it already had a knack for lining up a busy dancehall cast around a sharp instrumental. The set pulls in Bescenta, Fambo, Lady Saw, Lisa Hyper, Pamputae, Stacious and New Kidz, with the clean/raw doubles on “No Gyal, ” “Step In A Money” and “Haffi Come Back” giving the release that early-2010s radio-and-street split. The riddim itself leans on bright keyboard stabs, a tight drum pattern and a punchy low end rather than anything murky or rootsy, which keeps the vocals front and centre. Lady Saw’s “Yuh Think” and Lisa Hyper’s “No Gyal” sit near the top of the pile, but the whole thing moves at a brisk, compact pace and never drifts past its 2: 23 version cut.